Saginaw 'placemaking' project aims to set priorities for development in downtown, Old Town

Fireworks are set off from Ojibway Island to conclude Holidays in the Heart of the City, an evening-long event in Celebration Square and Old Town Saginaw on Friday, Nov. 22.

(Danielle McGrew | MLive.com)

SAGINAW, MI -- Saginaw is one of seven Michigan communities selected this year to participate in the PlacePlans program, which sets its sights on creating "transformative placemaking projects" that spur development.

City Manager Tim Morales told members of City Council at a recent meeting that the program will help Saginaw to create a collaborative strategy for growth.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the city," Morales said.

What exactly is "placemaking?"

According to the Michigan Municipal League, which coordinates the program together with Michigan State University, the effort is defined as:

"Capitalizing on the distinctive assets of a community to integrate a mixture of users that connect people and places on a human scale. It is a scalable strategy to create adaptable, economically-competitive 21st century communities worth caring about."

The ultimate goal for all seven municipalities in the program is for community leaders and stakeholders to "receive technical assistance with key economic development projects designed to attract and retain residents and employers."

The effort is funded by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority through Gov. Rick Snyder's MIplace Partnership Initiative.

Gary Heidel, chief placemaking officer for MSHDA, said the seven communities selected are from all areas of the state and the projects involved range from better utilizing a creek/park area in Traverse City to redeveloping a downtown park and plaza in Benton Harbor.

"Each community has its own characteristics and assets that makes it unique," Heidel said. "The great thing about this PlacePlans program is it helps a community look at an under-utilized asset and puts it on the path toward becoming a community gem. The design and technical assistance being provided through PlacePlans will give them a road map and direction they need."

The Saginaw project will focus on helping business, government and community leaders establish a "clear set of shared priorities" for investments in the city's downtown and Old Town areas and adjacent neighborhoods.

Morales said city officials have already met with staff from the Michigan Municipal League to talk about the aim of the project.

"A lot of these awards go to cities that have pretty specific projects, but they're letting Saginaw have a pretty broad range," Morales said.

Michigan's PlacePlans program launched in 2012.

The first year, PlacePlans tackled projects in Allegan, Alpena, Dearborn and Sault Ste. Marie. It continued in 2014 with projects in Cadillac, Detroit, Flint, Holland, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Marquette and Midland.

"With this announcement, in just three short years we are very pleased to have helped about two dozen communities throughout Michigan with projects that will benefit their cities for years to come," said Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League. "The League has long supported the concept of placemaking, which is creating communities where people want to live, work and play. The PlacePlans actually create realistic, tangible designs to make placemaking possible."

Now that the communities and projects have been selected, the next step is to identify key stakeholders in each community.

Then public meetings will be scheduled in each city to gather public input. From those meetings, conceptual plans with specific implementation goals and guidelines will be formed.